Management Accountant - Local Authority

Adecco; Wolverhampton; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

Wolverhampton Council seeks an Interim Management Accountant to join the finance team for a 6-month period with extension potential. The role focuses on robust financial planning, monitoring, and analysis to support service managers and budget holders.

You will work with Finance Business Partners, delivering accurate forecasts, insightful financial advice, and timely reporting to enable informed decisions and savings delivery.

Qualifications

• CCAB/CIPFA/ACCA/ACA or CIMA qualification, or significant relevant experience.
• Experience in Local Authority or Public Sector finance.
• Strong budget monitoring, forecasting and financial reporting background.
• Experience supporting budget setting processes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and business partnering skills.
• Ability to analyse complex financial information and communicate findings.
• Strong Excel and financial modelling skills.

Responsibilities

• Support quarterly budget monitoring and financial reporting processes.
• Produce accurate forecasts and identify budget pressures, risks and opportunities.
• Investigate variances and provide recommendations to support financial performance.
• Assist with annual budget setting and financial planning activities.
• Develop financial models and analyse historical expenditure trends.
• Support council transformation and savings programmes, monitor progress.
• Contribute to MTFS forecasting and financial planning.
• Attend stakeholder meetings and provide clear, commercially focused financial advice.
• Challenge assumptions constructively and help managers make informed decisions.

Skills

Budget monitoring

Forecasting

Financial reporting

Financial modelling

Stakeholder management

Business partnering

Excel

Analytical thinking

Education

CCAB/CIPFA/ACCA/ACA/CIMA qualified

Tools

Agresso

Excel

Job description

Interim Management Accountant

Wolverhampton Council

6-Month Interim Contract with extension potential; Rates: £300 - £400 /day DOE; Type: remote with office visits 3 times /month

Are you an experienced Management Accountant with a strong background in local authority finance? Do you have the ability to hit the ground running, provide robust financial advice, and support budget holders through effective financial planning and analysis?

The Role

Working closely with Finance Business Partners and service managers, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality financial management support, ensuring budgets are effectively monitored, forecasted and managed.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting quarterly budget monitoring and financial reporting processes.
• Producing accurate forecasts and identifying budget pressures, risks, and opportunities.
• Investigating variances and providing recommendations to support financial performance.
• Assisting with annual budget setting and financial planning activities.
• Developing financial models and analysing historical expenditure trends.
• Supporting council transformation and savings programmes, monitoring achievement against agreed targets.
• Contributing to Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) forecasting and financial planning.
• Attending stakeholder meetings and providing clear, commercially focused financial advice.
• Challenging assumptions constructively and helping managers make informed decisions.

About You

We are looking for a proactive finance professional who can work independently and deliver results with minimal supervision.

Essential requirements:

• CCAB, CIPFA, ACCA, ACA or CIMA qualified, or qualified by significant relevant experience.
• Previous experience within Local Authority or Public Sector finance.
• Strong background in budget monitoring, forecasting and financial reporting.
• Experience supporting budget setting processes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and business partnering skills.
• Ability to analyse complex financial information and communicate findings clearly.
• Strong Excel and financial modelling skills.

Desirable:

• Experience using Agresso or similar financial management systems.
• Knowledge of local government funding, budgeting and financial reporting requirements.

What Success Looks Like

• Accurate and timely budget monitoring reports.
• Robust financial forecasting and analysis.
• Effective support to Finance Business Partners and service managers.
• Identification and management of financial risks and budget pressures.
• Delivery and monitoring of savings initiatives.
• Confident financial advice that supports strategic decision-making.